Why you should avoid falling asleep during takeoff on a plane

For nervous fliers, falling asleep the moment you sit in your seat on a plane probably sounds like a good idea.

Equally, if you’ve been forced to get up at an unholy hour just to travel to the airport for a morning flight, getting some shuteye sounds like a dream.

As much as it may seem appealing to spend an entire flight catching up on sleep, there’s one reason why you should avoid snoozing during takeoff and landing…

As it turns out, sleeping during flight takeoff and landing can actually have major repercussions for your health.

Apparently, sleeping while the plane moves to a high/low altitude can actually affect your hearing.

Most people will be familiar with the uncomfortable ‘pop’ sensation that your ears make during a flight.

Pic: Shutterstock

This popping sensation is caused by the sudden change in air pressure in the cabin, and if you’re asleep during the takeoff or landing (when the change is most intensive), it can mean your ears don’t actually pop as they should to relieve pressure.

Pharmacist Angela Chalmers explained to Express, how the change in cabin pressure can affect long-term hearing.

She said: ‘A quick change in altitude affects the air pressure in the ear. This leads to a vacuum in the Eustachian tubes which makes the ears feel blocked and sound dull.’

Pic: Rex

Something as simple as swallowing or yawning actually helps to relieve the pressure on the ears and can help clear the blocked sensation.

The reason it doesn’t work as effectively during sleep is that we don’t actually swallow as often, as it’s a habit while awake.

This is also why people will more often than not bring sweets on the plane to suck on during takeoff, because the increased saliva quantity in the mouth leads to more swallowing, and so helps relieve the pressure on the ears.